The Bible

 

Ezekiel 5

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1 Og du Menneskesøn tag dig et skarbt sværd, brug det som agekniv og lad det gå over dit Hoved og dit Skæg; tag dig så en Vægtskål og del Håret.

2 En Tredjedel skal du brænde i et Bål midt i Byen, når Belejringens Dage er omme; en Tredjedel skal du tage og slå den med Sværdet rundt om Byen; og en Tredjedel skal du sprede for Vinden; så drager jeg Sværdet bag dem.

3 Derefter skal du tage lidt deraf og svøbe det ind i din kappeflig;

4 og deraf skal du atter tage noget og kaste det midt ind i Ilden og brænde det. Og du skal sige til hele Israels Hus:

5 siger den Herre HE EN: Dette er Jerusalem; jeg satte det midt iblandt Folkene, omgivet af lande.

6 Men det var gudløst og genstridigt mod mine Lovbud mere end Folkene og mod mine Vedtægter mere end Landene rundt om; thi de lod hånt om mine Lovbud og vandrede ikke efter mine Vedtægter.

7 Derfor, så siger den Herre HE EN: Fordi I var mere genstridige end Folkene rundt om og ikke vandrede efter mine Vedtægter eller holdt mine Lovbud, men gjorde efter de omboende Folks Lovbud,

8 derfor, så siger den Herre HE EN: Se, jeg kommer over dig og holder Dom i din Midte for Folkenes Øjne.

9 For alle dine Vederstyggeligheders Skyld vil jeg gøre med dig, hvad jeg aldrig har gjort og aldrig vil gøre Mage til.

10 Derfor skal Fædre æde deres Børn i din Midte og Børn deres Fædre; jeg holder Dom over dig, og alle, som er til est i dig, spreder jeg for alle Vinde.

11 Derfor, så sandt jeg lever, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN: Sandelig, fordi du gjorde min Helligdom uren med alle dine væmmelige Guder og Vederstyggeligheder, vil jeg også støde dig fra mig uden Medynk eller Skånsel.

12 En Tredjedel af dig skal af Pest og omkomme af Hunger i din Midte, en Tredjedel skal falde for Sværdet rundt om dig, og en Tredjedel spreder jeg for alle Vinde og drager Sværdet bag dem.

13 Min Vrede skal udtømme sig, og jeg vil køle min Harme på dem og tage Hævn, så de skal kende at jeg, HE EN, har talet i min Nidkærhed, når jeg udtømmer min Vrede over dem.

14 Jeg gør dig til en Grushob og til Spot blandt Folkene rundt om, for Øjnene af enhver, som drager forbi.

15 Du skal blive til Spot og Hån, til Advarsel og ædsel for Folkene rundt om, når jeg holder Dom over dig i Vrede og Harme og harm fuld evselse. Jeg, HE EN, har talet!

16 Når jeg sender Hungerens onde Pile mod eder, og de, som jeg sender for af ødelægge eder, volder Ødelæggelse, og jeg lader Hungeren tage til, da sønderbryder jeg Brødets Støttestav for eder

17 og sender Hunger over eder og ovdyr, som skal affolke dig; Pest og Blodsudgydelse skal hjemsøge dig, og jeg bringer Sværd over dig. Jeg, HE EN, har talet.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8972

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8972. Verse 1 And these are the judgements which you shall set before them means those more external truths such as must exist in a civic state where the Church is representative, which flow from the internal truths belonging to order in heaven. The fact that these things are meant by 'the judgements that were to be set before the children of Israel' is clear from the meaning of 'judgements' as truths, dealt with in 2235, 6397, 7206, 8685, 8695. The reason why 'judgements' are truths is that all judgement is effected by means of truths; therefore 'executing judgement' in the Word means executing truth, that is, judging in accordance with truths. But the plural 'judgements' means civil laws, thus those more external truths such as exist in a civic state. The words 'where the Church is representative' are added because these truths contain and embody within themselves the truths that belong to order in heaven, as may be recognized from the internal sense of them.

[2] The laws which the Lord delivered to the children of Israel and commanded them to keep were divided into commandments, judgements, and statutes. The term 'commandments' was given to those which were laws of life, 'judgements' to those which were laws of the civic state, and 'statutes' to those which were laws of worship. As regards judgements specifically, they are the kinds of laws that are contained in the present chapter and also some that follow. They served as laws in a Church in which inner realities, those of heaven and of the Church, were represented by outward things; but they do not serve as laws in a Church in which inner realities are no longer represented by outward things, as in the Christian Church. The reason for this is that inner realities have been revealed to people of this Church, and therefore inner realities are the channel through which contact is made with heaven, not outward things, as had been the situation before the Christian Church. Here is the reason why members of the Christian Church are not bound to adhere to the outward requirements of the laws called judgements and statutes, only to the inward ones. Holiness still remains within them because they hold holy truths within them, as also does every single command in the Word regarding the sacrifices. Although these are no longer prescriptive laws they remain holy constituents of the Word because of the Divine realities which they hold within themselves and which they represented. For when they are read by a Christian the Divine realities which are held within them and which were represented by them are discerned in heaven. They fill the angels with holiness, and at the same time the reader too through influx from the angels, especially if the reader himself is thinking at the same time about the Divine realities within them. From this it is evident that even the Old Testament Word is extremely holy.

[3] The fact that the laws which the Lord delivered to the children of Israel and commanded them to keep were divided into commandments that were laws of life, judgements that were laws of the civic state, and statutes that were laws of worship, is evident in Moses,

Jehovah said to Moses, Go, say to them, Go back into your tents. But you, stand here with Me, that I may tell you all the commandments, and statutes, and judgements which you shall teach them, so that they may do them. Deuteronomy 5:30-31.

In the same author,

Furthermore these are the commandments, statutes, and judgements which Jehovah your God commanded to teach you. Deuteronomy 6:1.

In the same author,

Therefore you shall keep the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them. Deuteronomy 7:11.

In David,

If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgements, if they profane My statutes and do not keep My commandments, I will visit their transgression with the rod. Psalms 89:30-32.

[4] Furthermore all the laws, in that they were those of a representative Church, were generally called judgements and statutes, as in Moses,

Now therefore, O Israel, hear the statutes and the judgements which I will teach you, that you may do them. What great nation [is there] that has righteous statutes and judgements, like all this law which I will set before you today? Deuteronomy 4:1, 8; 5:1.

In Ezekiel.

Jerusalem has changed My judgements into wickedness more than the nations, and My statutes more than the lands that are around her; for they have repudiated My judgements, and have not walked in My statutes. Ezekiel 5:6-7.

In the same prophet,

Let him 1 walk in My statutes and keep My judgements - to do the truth. Ezekiel 18:9.

In addition to these there are many other places, such as Leviticus 18:5; 19:37; 20:22; 25:18; 26:15; Deuteronomy 26:17; Ezekiel 11:12, 20; 20:11, 13, 25; 37:24.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin means them but the Hebrew means him

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.